


Changing Course

by stand_by_me



Series: Clack Week 2016 [7]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, I had an elaborate dream about the remake okay, Multi, OG timeline, Plot-heavy, basically all the characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 07:50:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7749346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stand_by_me/pseuds/stand_by_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's no getting off of this train they're on, and...it's only a split-second decision, but looking up is all it takes to change course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changing Course

**Author's Note:**

> The theme for the last regular day of Clack Week was "headcanon/remake," and I happened to have a very complicated dream about it a few weeks ago...so now this is a thing. The premise is probably the least original thing ever and I'm sorry :/
> 
> This starts out towards the end of disc 1 in the OG.

The ancient bed frames were about as comfortable as a bag of rocks, but everyone was exhausted enough to justify a nap, even if Tifa was the only one willing to ask for a break. Cloud let her use his arm as a pillow as Barret took the other bed, and he fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

It was a dreamless sleep, a big open space, until the familiar feeling of confusion washed over him and his least favorite ghost showed up, crowding him inside his own mind.

_Hey, buddy. Pal. Bucko. Spikey. Whatever people are calling you now. I don’t mean to freak you out, but why the hell are you napping at a time like this?!_

_Um…ugh…you again? Why do you keep bothering me? I still don’t understand what was up with the skinned knees…or “go ask Tifa…” Every time you show up, I get more and more confused. I don’t want to be confused anymore..._

_Hey, I don’t want you to be confused, either. But please trust me, for once in your life. Why did you go to sleep? Aerith’s life in danger, remember? You’re supposed to be her bodyguard, you promised!_

_Aerith’s life…Sephiroth is here?! Already?! How?! Wait, I know how…he’s been doing that sort of thing since the beginning. I really shouldn’t have fallen asleep…_

_Now you’re catching on. Sephiroth is manipulating you to give himself more time, but you still have a chance – if you go now, you can still save her. And then she can save the Planet. There’s no benefit in staying asleep…there never has been._

_I believe you, I guess, but…hold it. What do you mean, there never has been? You keep talking to me in my sleep, and you act like you know everything about me, but you just keep dropping these useless hints about it. Just tell me…who are you?_

_Isn’t it obvious, after all these little talks we’ve had? The real issue is…who are_ you _, now that everything’s changed?_

_Who…am I? Um...I’m Cloud, ex-SOLDIER, mercenary…well, I guess I’m not much of a mercenary anymore. I’m trying to stop Sephiroth from destroying the Planet, and I want to save my friends. Yeah. That’s me._

_Okay. Now’s the time to start asking yourself the big questions. What happened to you five years ago…don’t let it consume you. What do you stand for? Who will you fall for? How far will you go to protect the people you care about? If you decide before it’s too late, there’ll be less pain involved._

_Less…pain..?_

_Oops, my bad. I didn’t mean to say that, but…listen. You and me, we’ve done this song and dance before, even if you don’t remember it yet. And may all the gods help you when you do…just start thinking about those questions, okay? Promise?_

_…I promise…_

_Thanks. I appreciate that. So will you. Anyway, you should really wake up now. I’ve been kind of blocking Sephiroth from you for the past few minutes, but he’s pretty peeved. So I’d book it to wherever Aerith is camped out on the double. Make sure she’s alright._

Cloud was already standing when he opened his eyes, anxiety lacing his blood at least as much as the mako. Anxiety, and…a fierce anger, the sort he had only ever associated with one man. “I feel it…”

Two sets of sleepy footsteps came up behind him, and it was Barret who cleared his throat first. “Cloud, what is it?”

“Aerith is here…and so is Sephiroth,” Cloud said, strangely calm despite the direness of their situation.

The three of them stared at each other like they were petrified, and Cloud was aware of how crazy he probably was, but he _knew_ what he’d said was true. “But how can you tell?” Tifa asked, and her tone reminded him of the long list of other questions she had that Cloud wished he could answer.

 _They won’t believe me. Hell, I barely even believe me_. “It’s not an excuse,” Cloud said, focusing very carefully on a stain on the long-neglected wall. “I feel it in my soul.”

It made Cloud more grateful than anyone would ever know that neither of them pressed the issue. “Then, we better get up offa our lazy asses!” Barret said pragmatically, picking up their emergency bag.

 _Hey, voice inside my head? Do you have any tips for me on where to go now? We’ve already searched the perimeter of the ruins.._. It didn’t seem to have any suggestions, so Cloud led them back out to the village entrance, trying to ignore how cold the air had gotten. _We were resting way too long…gods, I hope we’re not too late._

His mako-enhanced ears picked up the sound of someone’s voice to the north, saying some sort of incantation. “Aerith’s voice…”

There was a path headed that way, into a long-dead forest, and something deep down knew that was where he needed to go. “Coming from there?” he asked, pointing into the white mess of trunks.

“I can’t hear a bit of whatever you’re pointin’ at, but it’s worth a shot,” Barret said. “Haven’t checked that way yet.”

Tifa was silent, so much so that it set Cloud’s nerves on edge almost as much as the prospect of facing Sephiroth again. _She knows, she sees everything that’s wrong with me, but she doesn’t know anything more about it than I do. I get that my story is full of holes, I never said it wasn’t…but she looks at me like I’ll turn into someone else any second._

He pressed on, coming first to a small cottage in the forest, then a spiral staircase to what looked like an underground place of worship. Sephiroth’s rage started to win out over his own anxiety, and Cloud knew he was getting close.

He caught sight of her when he reached the bottom – a bundle of pink and red, kneeling as if to pray. _She’s absolutely defenseless like that_. “Aerith?”

Barret blocked Tifa from following with his good arm – the amount of trust he had for Cloud was incredible considering how their friendship had started, and it was almost certainly undeserved _. None of them should trust me…especially not now, now that I’m following some random voice in my head so I can let my mind get taken over by a guy who wants to destroy the world for an undead alien with an eye for a nipple_. Cloud made his way to the platform, and just as he feared, Sephiroth seized control. Though he fought it with every ounce of his strength, he still retreated back into the depths of his mind, every shade of blue and purple fading to black.

_Hey, Cloud, it’s me again._

_You’re not Sephiroth…_

_No, and thank heavens for that. I just thought I’d do that blocking thing again, and keep you company while this whole mess plays out. Trust me…it’s better than having to watch while you’re unable to do anything._

_But Sephiroth’s trying to make me kill Aerith! I have to snap out of it! How am I supposed to do that if I can’t see what’s going on?!_

_Neither of us has any control over this process yet…this is the best way to protect you, and me. Until you get stronger again._

_Again? But how can I learn to resist him?! I have to – I have to do it right now, Tifa and Barret don’t stand a chance against him if he goes after them, too!_

_First of all, you need to calm down. Resisting him isn’t as much a skill as it is an intrinsic trait, born from knowing the truth about yourself. As long as those big questions remain unanswered, he can take over your mind. That’s why I told you to think. You’re about to come to – and when you do, I need you to do one thing for me._

_What?_

_Look up._

The world came back into focus with a flash and a bang, and he stumbled, the world spinning. “Cloud!”

“Stop!”   _Tifa…I’m sorry you have to see this._

Cloud slung the Buster Sword back into its place as he stepped back, not wasting the energy on wondering when he’d picked up a second sword. “Ugh…what are you making me do?”

Control of his body had been restored, but Cloud could still feel Jenova’s presence, jumbling his thoughts and blurring his objective. _I need to stop, I need to think, I need to figure out what’s going on…Sephiroth is here, somewhere…he’s gotta be close, if he’s doing this…where’s he hiding?_

A flash of white, and a helpful reminder. _Do I have to do everything? Look up, you indecisive idiot!_

Cloud obeyed the silent command, and the sight of Sephiroth leaping off the stairwell with Masamune aimed right at his friend was enough to startle him into action. _Aerith!_

He didn’t deliberate, didn’t question his own actions – there was only one choice he could make. Cloud lurched forward, putting every ounce of strength he had into pushing Aerith out of the way, into protecting her, making himself a roadblock between her and Sephiroth.

Her kind smile and surprised eyes were the last thing his mind registered before Masamune pierced his chest, the wide blade of the Buster Sword preventing it from fully impaling him. _It’s still protecting me now_ , Cloud thought strangely through the flood of pain and the faint sound of something hitting the water.

“What a disappointment,” Sephiroth said through a wall of his friends’ shouting, his voice wavering in and out through Cloud’s mental static. “I was hoping you could join the Reunion, Cloud.”

 _Reunion…reunion…yes, I have to make it there. That’s where the truth lies_. Cloud surpassed any reasonable expectation he could have had for himself and stood up on shaky legs, looking Sephiroth in the eye to avoid catching sight of the blood soaking his chest. _I won’t last long like this…I need more time_. “Who said…I wasn’t going?” Cloud said, putting as much snark into it as he could manage.

“The gaping hole in your ribcage, I’d say,” Sephiroth said with a snicker, pulling the blade out of his ribcage, and Cloud knew he could never forget the sensation of air flowing through his lungs in all directions, of his life being bared open to the world.

He kept his footing only through the sheer force of his will, and pulled Yoshiyuki off of his back, holding the blade in front of him like a shield. “Aerith, get out of here! I’ll meet you...at the Reunion!”

She nodded and grabbed their other friends in either arm, wishing them away with a powerful teleport spell. _Gods, I hope they stay safe. And out of his reach._

“Facing you again like this is a fine exchange for the girl’s life,” Sephiroth said, circling him as he stood, not daring to move for fear of collapsing. “Do not worry for her immediate safety; I got what I wanted here. Holy will fail, and all of you will die when Meteor falls. This Planet…will be mine.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Cloud said, beginning to feel very lightheaded. _Time…I need more time_ …  
“I agree,” Sephiroth said, probing into his mind with infuriating ease and causing him to stumble.

“Aaah…ugh…” _No, no, I can’t black out now…_

“You really don’t know what I’m talking about, so…I can’t let you join the reunion,” Sephiroth said, sheathing Masamune. _What…what is he doing…?_ “Yes...consider this payback for all the years I lost.”

Cloud barely had time to process what the hell Sephiroth was trying to say before his boot caught him in the shoulder, sending him flying over the edge of the platform, two swords weighing him down.

Sephiroth’s laughter was the last thing he heard before the pool surrounded him, blocking all sound and washing everything in hues of red. His blood, pouring out from his heart and lungs, and the mako lost its ability to keep up. _I…I’m going to die…_

Something cool and round floated into his palm as he hit the deep pull of the Lifestream, and Cloud spent his remaining strength securing it in his pocket, letting out one last breath. _This belonged to Aerith’s mother…I’ll keep it safe._

The souls of the departed called out for him, and Cloud followed, embracing his end with a calm he didn’t know he possessed.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The shirt was kaput.

Truthfully, it had been little more than a rag since before he woke up on this godforsaken island, the front and back panels basically useless from all the holes, but he couldn’t bear to part with it. Primarily because he didn’t have any spare clothes, and this place was _cold_. But there were also a couple blond hairs stuck to it, and he couldn’t just throw away the only piece of Cloud he had left.

“You’re being stupidly sentimental, you know that, right?” he asked nobody, hanging the shirt up on the nearest tree branch. “He didn’t make it…he’s gone, he’s dead, it’s your fault, and you need to buck up and accept it. And trash the shirt.”

He had lost count of how many times he’d had this conversation with himself, but he _had_ been keeping track of how many times he managed to make himself cry. Today marked the nineteenth. “Fuck…I can’t do this anymore,” he said, cutting his hand on a thorn as he pushed his way west, towards the tiny shelter he’d managed to build with no resources.

He sucked the blood from his hand as he walked, the taste sour and metallic in his mouth. The Turks who brought him here, faces faded thanks to all the blood loss blurring his memory, had been kind enough to let him keep his bracer when they tossed him out, lightheaded and barely alive.

The invaluable cure materia was waiting just inside the shelter, pulsing with power from frequent use in its place atop Aerith’s box of letters. By the time he was conscious enough to cast spells, it was far too late to prevent the unsightly scarring on his chest and back. It didn’t matter. He’d probably die alone on this island of exposure once winter came, and no one would ever see the proof of what Shinra would do to maintain their _pristine_ reputation.

The weak sunlight that came through the forest canopy reflected off his bracer, and he was treated to the first sight of his face he’d seen in weeks, maybe months, he had stopped keeping track – eyes hollow with fatigue and grief, but otherwise showing no signs of the shit he’d been through. _Damn SOLDIER…damn the mako…damn all of it. If I have to live like a dying man, at least let me look like it._

A sharp pain flared in his head, and he fell to the floor, the remains of his harness catching his head like a pillow.

_“Real sorry about this, but it’s the only thing we can still do to help, yo.”_

_“Reno?…what…guns…bleeding…Cloud…” he coughed, blood gurgling in his throat._

_“Yeah, I know. Cissnei’s in deeper shit than you over this, believe me, yo. I don’t have the energy for this…Rude, come over here.”_

_“…He’s not going to make it,” Rude said, trying and failing to seal his wounds. There were too many of them…_

_“Boss, this is pretty much the opposite of what Turks are supposed to do…let’s just give up on him and call it a day, yo.”_

_“No…Cissnei’s feelings aside, it would be wrong by Aerith to just abandon him. We can heal him enough to give him a fighting chance, and leave him somewhere totally isolated. Then at least he might survive,” a different Turk said, the tone easily recognizable as Tseng. “And if we leave the letters with him, then…I have no debt to repay.”_

_“…Aer…ith?” Zack wheezed._

_“There’s not a corner of the Planet Shinra won’t look, yo,” Reno said, ignoring his question._

_“Trust me…I know a place. Get us offline, Reno. I’ll patch him up.”_

_“Tseng…where’s…Cloud?”_

_“Cloud…? The trooper who was with you? He was gone by the time we got there. It doesn’t concern you anymore, anyway.”_

Zack opened his eyes with a yell, feeling holes in his chest that were no longer there, sealed up with time and mako and so much scar tissue. “It’s not fair…ha. I’m not Fair anymore either…Zack Fair would be better than this,” he said, standing up. _I should have saved him, I should have tried to save Sephiroth…I should have done everything differently._

Shaking his head to clear the memories, Zack left the shelter again, forgetting all about the cut on his hand. _North…that’s a direction I haven’t gone in a while_.

It was an exercise in sanity, mapping out sections of this circular hell every damn day. A subarctic jungle cut off from the ocean by steep mountains and sheer cliffs, uniform from every angle. It was madness-inducing.

Zack hugged the base of the mountain range and made his way clockwise, being careful not to let his worn-out pants snag on the underbrush. He ran into a couple monsters along the way and gave them the boot. And took their gil. “I may never get out of here, buddy, but I don’t wanna be broke if I do,” he said, stepping over their unconscious bodies.

The setting sun illuminated a crack in the rocks Zack didn’t remember seeing before. _Is that a cave? I like caves. They’re way better shelter than that pile of sticks I set up._

It took until about an hour after moonrise for him to reach the cave, sighing in relief when the temperature inside was much warmer. _You know what, I think I’ll move in here. This is nice. Oh…what’s that?_

A red materia, glowing brightly in the center of the cave. Zack picked it up and turned it over in his hands. _Is this a summon that can fly? Because damn, if Bahamut’s hiding in there, I’m hitching a ride out of here._

Zack could feel the power radiating from the materia, mysterious and compelling. _Whatever’s in here, it’s powerful._ He vaguely recalled something about the dangers of casting spells with unequipped materia, but Zack tried anyway, focusing all his energy into the stone.

The sound of rocks sliding caught his attention, and Zack wondered for a moment if this was just an unusually strong Titan, before it became clear that the rocks were moving to make a door of sorts.

Something came through the opening that Zack quite honestly could not describe in words. “Nyum-nyum…” it said, looking down with its…eyes. Zack thought they were probably eyes.  
“Did I seriously just summon you?” he asked, holding up the materia. “Is this yours?”

The creature shook its head, chanting “nyum-nyum” in an increasingly distressed tone. _I don’t speak nyum-nyum, buddo._

“Okay, if I didn’t summon you, then can I leave the island through that hole?” Zack asked. “Please tell me I can get out of here.”

It shook its head again, pointing a spectral finger inside nonetheless. “Nyum-nyum! Nyum-nyum!"

Zack sighed. “You’re giving me mixed signals here.” _My first conversation with someone who’s not me, and it’s a little dude who can’t speak actual words._ “So I can’t get out through there, but you want me to go anyway?”

“Nyum, nyum-nyum,” the creature said, nodding.

He pocketed the mystery materia and entered the hole, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark until he the stench of mako hit him like a ton of bricks. _Ah, the Lifestream must get close to the surface here…_

The green light of the natural mako grew stronger as he made his way through the path, and Zack started to worry. _After the labs…it can’t be healthy for me to just mosey around in here. What’s nyum-nyum want with me, anyway?_

A pained groan reached Zack’s ears, familiar and impossible, and the sound of it...he thought his heart might leap out of his chest. “That can’t be…that’s not…that’s not funny, nyum-nyum!” he said, holding his hands up in a makeshift guard. “Don’t mess with me like that!”

The groaning continued, and Zack really had no choice but to move towards it, feeling the stupid hope in his chest grow with every step. _I’m crazy, I’ve fucking lost it, I’ve been alone on this island too long and I’m hallucinating everything. That can’t be him, it just can’t._

The doubt he had in his heart vanished when he saw the hilt of his Buster Sword. _I…I can’t believe it_. “Cloud! Gods, Cloud, it’s really you!” he gasped, running to where his best friend was sprawled on the cave floor and stopping six inches short of pulling him into a crushing bear hug. “Shit, Spike, what happened to you? You’re bleeding everywhere…and you’re barely breathing…I should’ve made you promise not to do anything too crazy…let’s get you out of here,” he said, looking around for something to carry the sword with. _I don't have eight arms_...

Zack settled for peeling Cloud’s shirt and harness off of him and wearing them himself, strapping the Buster and the other, narrower sword onto his back. “It almost looks like…no, that’s impossible. More impossible than you washing up in the middle of nowhere. You’ll have to tell me what happened once you wake up,” Zack said, trying (and failing) not to panic at the severity of his wounds. _I shouldn’t have spent so much time dilly-dallying on the way here…I just hope I have enough energy to heal that up._

The nature of his injuries made all of his usual methods of carrying Cloud too risky, so Zack settled for picking him up bridal-style, taking care not to let his head or feet hit the passage walls as he made his way out of the cave. “Nyum-nyum, I can’t thank you enough,” he said, but the creature had already left.

Half of Zack wanted to sprint all the way back to the shelter and make himself useful as fast as possible, but the other half knew that would only make Cloud weaker, so he settled for a light jog, ignoring how the plant life scratched up both of their arms and how heavy he felt with the added weight of Cloud and two swords. “You’re gonna be just fine, Spike,” he said, finally breaking a sweat. “I’m not gonna leave you this time…not that we can really get off this island anyway, but…gods, I missed you. So much.” _And I’m feeling hopeful…we’re finally together again. Against all the odds._

Cloud only responded by burrowing his face into the fabric of Zack’s shirt, or Cloud’s shirt, whichever one of them it had belonged to originally. _At least he doesn’t seem to be comatose…I’m gonna get everything right this time_. “Almost there…"

He laid Cloud on the shallow pile of leaves he’d gathered, the closest thing to a sleeping pad he had, and got right to work with the materia, casting cures as fast as he could.

 

\--------------------------------

 

The world was lost in a sea of green, flowing in and out of his mind in an endless labyrinth of other people’s memories…until suddenly, it wasn’t, and everything was empty, or at least it felt like it was just before blacking out.  
_Am I…dead? Is this what death feels like? Cold…dark…empty?_

Um, no. Definitely not dead...I think you washed up somewhere, and you’re just too tired to wake up. Yeah, that’s it.  
...So I’m not dead. Thanks for that…but if I fell into the Lifestream, how am I not…you know…lost inside my own head? I heard that’s what happens, anyway…

_I never said you weren’t. I’m sorry – I meant that you’re fine…mostly. You’ve got the same issues you did before, but nothing new. It’s kind of a miracle, to be honest._

“Nyum, nyum..."

_Whoa, was that you? Voice in my head?  
Ha, no. That was one of those spirits…you know, from in the Temple? I think he carried you through the Lifestream so you wouldn’t get sick again, and now he’s trying to move you. At least, it makes sense to me._

_Move me where? Can’t you, I don’t know…see him?_

_Cloud, do you seriously not get it yet? I see everything you see. I hear. Everything. You. Hear. No more, no less. I have no idea where we are, but it’s probably not on the same continent._

_How do you know?!_

_…Because Sephiroth pushed you into the Lifestream, which runs under the ground all through the Planet. It hasn’t even been that long since you saw Bugenhagen. I can’t believe you forgot._

_Man, cut me some slack…_

_You’ve always been too hard on yourself._

_…What?_

Cloud felt himself waking up and tried opening his eyes. The amount of blood in his immediate vision made him close them right back up again before his heart rate could go up and cause him to lose even more blood. _I’m gonna die before I can heal that…_ He groaned, feeling like a torn-up rag in the kitchen sink of life. _Ha…kitchen sink…just fuck me up, life, I can’t fucking move._

“That can’t be…that’s not…that’s not funny, nyum-nyum!”

_!!!!!! WHAT?!_

_…? You okay there, voice in my head?_

_HOW?!_

“Don’t mess with me like that!”

_No one’s messing with you! It’s me! I’m over here, dying on the ground! I…I can’t…how did…I never…_

_I don’t want to tell you what to do, since this freaking-out thing usually goes the other way around, but…get a grip, man._

_Don’t tell me to get a grip, okay?! I need…!!!...??_

_You need…?_

_...!!!...?? I need you to get his attention!_

_What? How do you know I can trust him?_

_Just!! Do it!!_

_Okay, okay_ … Cloud thought, attempting another groan. _But…if you’re the one freaking out and I’m the calm one, I don’t even…this is really weird_.

“Cloud! Gods, Cloud, it’s really you!” _He…knows me? A…a friend…?_

Cloud reached out for the voice in his head to ask who this guy was, and what was going on. But it was gone, possibly forever, and he passed out again before he could find it.

 

\--------------------------------

 

“Why the hell do you want to go to…the Reunion, or whatever that shit is?” Cid asked, smoking two cigarettes simultaneously. _Ugh, that’s disgusting_...

“First of all, that’s where Cloud said he would meet us,” Aerith answered, feeling off-balance without the Holy materia tucked into her ponytail. “Second—“

“You still haven’t told us what happened to Cloud!” Yuffie said, crossing her arms. “Where is he that we have to go to the freaking north pole to meet up with him?”

Aerith sighed, and Tifa rubbed her shoulder gently. _Oh, that feels nice…I wish I could relax_. “Maybe you should start from the beginning…” she said, and Aerith knew she was right.

“Do you have a plan beyond just finding Cloud?” Vincent asked.

“Yes, and I’d explain it if you guys would just _let me talk_ ,” Aerith said, irritated. “Can I go now?”

There was a round of nodding, and Tifa kept rubbing her shoulder in support while they waited for her to start. _I should be the one comforting her…sure, I almost died today, but she cares about Cloud more than anything, and…I have to be strong. It’s all on me now._

“I summoned Holy, a spell that should protect the Planet from Meteor if Sephiroth manages to summon it,” she started. “He tried to kill me right after…Cloud showed up just in time…I would’ve died if he hadn’t put himself in harm’s way.” _Nope, I can’t let myself get emotional about this now…deep breaths_ …

“He managed to stand up, even after…being stabbed,” Tifa picked up. “He told us to get out, said he would meet us at the Reunion, and Aerith warped us here.”

“He could still be down there, fightin’ that silver bastard for all we know,” Barret said, looking down."

“But he’s still alive,” Aerith said with certainty. “I’d know if he wasn’t.”

“Even with Sephiroth using Jenova’s influence to block the voice of the Planet?” Nanaki asked. “Doesn’t that make it hard to tell?”

 _It does, but_ … Aerith hesitated. “He can’t be dead,” she said. “Cloud’s tougher than that.”

“Yeah, but will ‘e be able to take care of himself out there?” Barret asked. “I know…when he joined AVALANCHE, he looked like he’d been half-starvin’ for months.”

 _He did look kind of sick when we first met, after that reactor blew up_. “Whether or not Cloud can take care of himself no longer matters,” Aerith said, taking back control of the conversation. “Maybe he’ll meet us at the Reunion, maybe he won’t. But we have to go anyway…that’s what I’m trying to say.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Yuffie asked. _Really? Now?_

“That’s your business, but I’m going,” Aerith said. “I think…if Sephiroth decided to go after Cloud instead of me, even after what happened…he must think Holy will fail, somehow.”

Cid snorted. “How the fuck would he know that?”

“He said he had become a traveler of the Lifestream…or something,” Aerith answered. _And then he took over Cloud…I want to know why that happened_. “But if we can’t count on Holy, there’s only one thing we can do to save the Planet – take the Black Materia back from Sephiroth before it’s too late. So we have to go north."

“I’m in,” Barret said without hesitation. “But once we got it, I’m goin’ after the Shinra.”

“And I’ll go with you,” Aerith agreed. “They’re destroying the Planet too, just…slower than Meteor would. Who’s with us?”

“Sephiroth has killed too many of the people I love,” Tifa said. “And…I want to know the truth about Cloud’s past. I feel like we’ll find it there…” _You’re so driven, Tifa..._

“The Promised Land might be that way…and with it, Hojo. I’m coming, too,” Vincent said.

“I can confirm Rufus is heading that way on the airship,” Cait Sith said. “And that they’re looking for the Promised Land.”

“ _The_ airship, you mean _my_ airship?” Cid grumbled. “I’m going…I want my ship back, damn it.”

“I’ll go,” Nanaki said simply, and then all eyes were on Yuffie.

“Ugh… _fine_ …since everyone else is going, I’ll come too,” she said.

“Great! There’s a town up around those mountains, and I think we should stop there to rest and stock up on supplies,” Aerith said. “Someone besides Cloud _does_ have gil…right?”

“I happen to have all of it,” Yuffie said nonchalantly, and there was a chorus of groans.

“Can you stop pickpocketing us, kid?” Cid groaned, checking his jacket for his cigarettes. “It’s gettin’ real fuckin’ annoying…”

The group set off for Icicle, offing the Jumping rabbits whenever they blocked the path. They were tough monsters, but AVALANCHE was tougher, and by about the halfway point they had a nice addition to their gil stash. Tifa started lagging behind the group, walking slower and slower, so Aerith stopped and waited for her to catch up.

“You don’t have to wait for me,” Tifa said, shivering. “I’m just tired…”

Aerith looked down at her friend’s hands and gasped. “Tifa, you’re turning blue! Why didn’t you say something about being cold?!”

Tifa sighed, teeth chattering, and Aerith made a small flame to warm her up. “Everyone else…seemed fine…”

“That doesn’t matter! You deserve to be taken care of, too,” Aerith said, clasping their hands together. “It’s gotta be more than just the chill…is it Cloud?”

Tifa let her chin down, looking more defeated than Aerith had ever seen her. “He was…the closest thing to my old family I had left. I know it doesn’t change anything, but…I feel like I’m all alone now…”

 _Not on my watch_. “You’re not alone, okay?” Aerith said, lifting her chin with her free hand. “You have a family…me, and Barret. And friends, too. Even if we don’t find Cloud…I won’t leave you behind, ever. You got that?”

She realized as she was saying it that it was a bit of a strong statement, but she was going to stand by it. “…Thanks, Aerith. And…I’m glad you’re safe,” Tifa said, looking away. “Don’t look, but there’s a group of Jumpings staring right at us.”

 _Time to bring out the big guns_. “Are you still cold?” she asked, checking the materia slots on her Princess Guard. “How about I heat things up a bit!” _Okay, that was Zack levels of ridiculous_.

She set her staff down to cast a spell and smirked, the use of magic lifting her spirits. Ifrit was always fun to summon, his blistering fires leaving her pleasantly warm and the Jumpings pleasantly scorched. _That ought to keep Tifa warm for a while._

“Was that NECESSARY?” someone shouted from up ahead, and both women fell into giggles.

“I think you might’ve gotten some of Yuffie’s stuff,” Tifa said, covering her mouth with her no-longer-blue hands.  
The amused look in her eyes gave Aerith the satisfaction of a job well done, and the happiness of knowing her friend felt at least a little bit better. “You don’t have to cover up your smile, it’s cute.”

“It’s…cute? Well, yours is too,” Tifa said. “Shouldn’t we, um, keep going?”

“Yes! I can’t wait to explore this town,” Aerith said. “I’ve never been here before, but it feels like a nice, homey sort of place, right?”

“Been a while since we’ve seen one of those,” Tifa said with a laugh, and the quaint outline of Icicle came into view over the snow. _Icicle…we’ll rest up here, then head down the mountain, due north. Sephiroth, you better watch out._

 

\--------------------------------

 

Cloud hadn’t done a lot of heavy drinking in his life, but he drifted back into consciousness with what was probably a record-breaking hangover.

“What…happened…?” he asked, opening his eyes to see fleck of blue and green poking through a ceiling of tree branches. He squinted, trying to adjust to the sudden light through his splitting headache. “Ugh…”

_I remember…Sephiroth. He told me…that I don’t know anything, and that he wasn’t going to let me make it to the Reunion. Then he pushed me off the platform and…I should be dead. I should have bled out in the Lifestream, or lost my mind, or something. I don’t know..._

His mind came up blank, and Cloud decided he’d be better off worrying about his present condition. Sitting up, it became immediately clear that someone had healed his wounds. Cloud lifted hem of his shirt and looked down. The scar he’d gotten sometime while he was in SOLDIER now had a twin, another starburst mark right next to it. _Holy shit…I guess the first set must have come from Sephiroth, too. How could I forget something like that…? Everything in Nibelheim is still fuzzy…_

Lowering his shirt, Cloud ran his fingers over the spot where there should have been a tear. Someone had washed it and sewn it up crudely, using what looked and felt like thread from another SOLDIER uniform, the shade slightly darker than his own.

Yoshiyuki was propped up against the entryway, but the Buster Sword was nowhere to be seen. Cloud stood up and stretched his muscles, taking stock of what hurt and how much. _I actually feel okay…whoever’s been taking care of me is damn good at it. I’m not even thirsty_ …

Glancing at the forest beyond the door,, Cloud realized with a start that he had absolutely no idea where he was. The chilly air raised goosebumps on his arms, and he couldn’t see more than a throw’s distance around him in any direction. _What is this place?_

He saw a bracer sitting atop a small box, and picked it up. _This is standard SOLDIER issue…I better prepare for the worst, if it’s Shinra who got me. But if was them, why would they bother healing me…? Whatever._

There was a rough trail leading right from the shelter’s entrance, and Cloud followed it, leaving Yoshiyuki behind. _I don’t know if I’m strong enough to fight, and…whoever’s here, I don’t want to brand myself as an immediate threat_. He felt naked unarmed, and Cloud did his best to ignore the sensation as he moved deeper into the forest.

A broken branch here, a cracked rock there were his clues as to the path forward. _It’s another SOLDIER, or maybe an ex-SOLDIER, I’m sure of it…maybe I’ll know the guy_.

Something clicked in his mind, and Cloud paused. _Wait, did I even know anyone in SOLDIER? I would’ve had to, I was in it…but I don’t remember having any friends in it…_

He caught sight of the tattered shirt in the middle of the path. Bloodstained, Cloud held it at an arm’s length. _It’s riddled with…bullet holes? This thing isn’t even wearable…_

The light caught something thin and light plastered to dark fabric, and Cloud’s breath caught in his throat. “That’s not…it can’t be my hair,” he said under his breath. “Even if it really looks like it…I would remember getting shot…”

Everything flashed white, and a feeling of acute loss and anguish punctured him like yet another stab wound, but Cloud pushed the breakdown away. He couldn’t afford to pass out again, not now.

A splash up ahead drew his attention, and Cloud caught sight of the Buster Sword past the next row of bushes.

 _That has to be the guy who patched me up…_ “Um, is this yours?” Cloud asked, stepping forward with the shirt in hand. Black hair in messy spikes, back riddled with scars to match the holes in his shirt, the man turned around, face breaking out in a relieved smile. _I feel…better, looking at him? I don’t understand myself..._

There was another splash and the sound of rushed footfalls, and Cloud was suddenly being hugged, head held against the man’s shoulder, in the sort of embrace one would give to a close friend. Confused, Cloud tried to pull away, but the part of him that felt better adamantly refused.

“I’m so happy you’re alive, and awake, and…gods, I was so lost without you, Cloud,” the man said, sounding like he’d never been happier in his life. “They told me you hadn’t made it…I never thought I would see you again.”

Cloud hesitantly hugged the man back, unsure of what else to do. _What do I say? I don’t know this guy...at least, I don’t think I know this guy…_ “…Thanks for saving me.”

There was a barely-coherent mumble that sounded a lot like it’s the other way around, Spike, and then the man took a deep breath. “I know you’ve never been good with words, but…come on, is that really all you have to say?”

Cloud pulled away from the hug, unable to look the man in the eye. _I can’t just act like nothing’s wrong with this picture…just get it over with, Strife_.

“Um…who are you?”

**Author's Note:**

> Wow...um...super self-conscious about this stupid plot. It's just...meh. Sorry.
> 
> And poor Zack. He'll react to that in the next chapter, and Aerith will explore Icicle a bit.


End file.
